Fairfax (Va.) seeks to dismiss 400 convictions in cases brought by one officer

[WhiskeyGrinder]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/04/16/convictions-dismiss-jonathan-freitag-fairfax/

Fairfax County prosecutors are moving to throw out more than 400 criminal convictions based on the testimony or work of a former patrol officer who is accused of stealing drugs from the police property room, planting drugs on innocent people and stopping motorists without legal basis, court filings show. In a hearing Friday, a Fairfax judge said he was inclined to vacate felony drug and gun convictions against a former D.C. firefighter and order him released from prison next week after serving nearly two years because of the actions of former officer Jonathan A. Freitag.

Fairfax police said they began investigating Freitag after receiving a tip about him in July 2019. The police department took him off the streets. Freitag, now 25, resigned in May 2020 after the FBI had joined Fairfax County in a criminal investigation of him. But even after The Washington Post first reported the allegations against Freitag in June 2020, he was hired by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office in Florida in August 2020. The Fairfax human resources department reported to Brevard that the former officer had never been “subject to disciplinary action” and “there are no disciplinary records in his file.”

Freitag was fired by the Brevard County sheriff on April 1 after The Post inquired about his status there. Brevard Sheriff Wayne Ivey then sent a scathing two-page letter to interim Fairfax police chief David M. Rohrer accusing Fairfax of providing “misleading representations to our legitimate efforts to investigate” Freitag. Ivey said it was “outrageous that an individual such as Mr. Freitag, with a history of alleged misconduct at the Fairfax County Police Department, had become a member of our agency and placed in a position that may have negatively impacted our citizens due to your agency’s misrepresentations.”

Fairfax County’s human resources department provided Freitag with a letter soon after his resignation which said, “You resigned from the position in good standing, your employment was entirely favorable and you are eligible for re-hire,” and Freitag in turn submitted that to Brevard County, documents released by Brevard show. Fairfax police said that letter led Brevard to query the human resources department instead of the police department. Brevard is now investigating the cases Freitag made during his seven months there, sheriff’s office spokesman Tod Goodyear said.

If you haven't done anything wrong, you have nothing to fear from the cops!! Just comply and let it play out!! A lawyer can always get you off if you didn't do anything!!!

[exboyfil]

1. Most private employers I have worked with will only confirm

dates of employment and nothing more. You can make an informal reference as an individual but not as a manager.

I haven't looked for a job in almost 20 years, but I got to imagine that this has gotten more difficult. In my industry the way to the next job is being known in your peer group for contributions outside of your company (like papers written, conferences or trade shows attended, etc).

I can't believe an HR department would include the statement "entirely favorable".

[HipChick]

8. Just completed an extensive background check

as part of new job..they did ask, if the employee is eligible for re-hire at previous companies

[CurtEastPoint]

2. Like many professions, cops should be licensed and if it's revoked in one state, it follows you.

Why should they be any different? A physician is under scrutiny and you'd better believe they check credentials. Hairdressers even are licensed!

[MuseRider]

4. I would not be so certain of that.

It may have changed, I have been out of health care for a long time now but it used to be your record did not follow you. You could lose your license in one state and go anywhere else and there would be no inquiry. I have seen it happen when one lost a license here, was then found to have lost one before in the state he was in before but he moved on from here and I lost track of him after he was hired in a different state. He never killed anyone or really hurt them badly but it was still malpractice. It is (or was) mighty hard to even prove that in most states. They are DOCTORS after all.

[CurtEastPoint]

6. Then that needs to be fixed. Didn't know that.

[MuseRider]

7. It may have been

but Doctors are really not inclined (or were not...I have to add that because I have been out of health care for quite a while) to talk about others mistakes. I have a very long time friend who worked on the committee that moved them along and she was astonished at how easy it was to erase by not mentioning the episode. Even cases that had been in the paper. I just do not think anyone cared much. I am also certain that many did but the Dr.s that left here with a bad record or lost their right to practice in our state were soon hired elsewhere because those records did not travel out of state.

I so hope this has changed.

[thx64536]

3. Looks like a case of "I am the law"

[Johnny2X2X]

5. This is more common than people realize

The jails are full of people claiming drugs were planted on them, while most of those inmates are lying, a % of them in every jail aren't.

I know a lot of LEOs or former LEOs, there's good and bad, but it's a system ripe for corruption and misdeeds.